Thursday, July 30, 2020

Finally ... rain!

Today is warm and humid and rainy.  Sort of like living in Florida!  But we need the rain so I'm not complaining.  Only thing is, this will make the grass grow.  We just mowed last week for the first time in 2-3 weeks.  So with this rain we've been getting the past several days, we'll be out there mowing again next week for sure.  I don't mind the mowing ... I 'mind' the weed whipping and weed pulling and sweeping up, etc.  Actually, being out on the mower is a good time to do some thinking.

We re-did our front sidewalk over the past two weeks, between rains, and it looks good again.  Took up the old pavers, redid the base, and then re-laid them using a new type of edging to hold them in place.  Used polymeric sand to sweep into the cracks and they're in there for a while now!  Looks pretty good.  That work outside in the humidity about did me in though!  I HATE to sweat.  We did it a half-day at a time.  We were supposed to get a guy here to help, but he never showed.  So we did it ourselves.  What can I say?  It's Greene County.

I've been keeping busy otherwise doing the usual stuff around here, sewing, crocheting, hooking, and TRYING to get the loom warped, and heddles and harp threaded.  It is a tedious job.  But I really need to get it done and get started weaving a couple rugs I owe people ...  So this is what I've been keeping busy with lately:
I already have a lot of weft ready but during the past month I've prepared this, too.  Most light to medium weight cottons are cut 2 1/2" wide, sewn together, then folded over and pressed.  Denim is cut 2".  I roll them just to keep them together and ready to go, plus it's easy to store this way and gives me an idea of how much is there ...

I have all the warp cranked on, but now in the process of threading the heddles.  As of today we have 5 sections threaded and 10 to go.  Wendell has to help with this.  He sits behind the loom and passes each warp thread to me and I use the tool that pulls the warp through the heddle.  NEXT I have to bring the warp through the harp.  So as I tell anyone who asks, by far the hardest part of weaving is warping and threading the loom! 

I saved up old coffee cans and found a bike rim, took it all to Neil White and he turned it all into this nifty whirlygig.  Nice paint job, too!  I love it!  THANK YOU, NEIL!

Friend Laurie brought this to hooking couple weeks ago.  Isn't this neat?  It's wool, like we hook rugs with.  Looks just like lavender.  She took a class; we think she should teach us now!  Hint, hint, hint. 😁  At least our two rug hooking groups are still meeting.  Here's keeping our fingers crossed that this will continue.  But I guess that's all up to Dr. Holcomb -- oops, that's Gov. Holcomb.

Here's the sidewalk just before we put the polymeric sand on it.  Looks pretty good.  Our only fear now is with this downpour that the new soil on both sides will wash out.  It's on a slight slope ...  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Well, we're hoping that we won't need an ark to get out of here tomorrow to celebrate Wendell's birthday.  He's now six years and two months beyond his stroke and heart attack.  Every birthday is special.  God is so good!

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Is it hot enough for ya'?...

Yikes!  This heat!  And the humidity has been awful, too.  I believe today it's supposed to be 94.  Thank goodness for AC!  Had a friend whose AC went out about 10 days ago and had to have a new unit installed.  In fact, we've had two sets of friends that that has happened to this summer.  I keep my fingers crossed; ours is 19 summers old ...

Nevertheless, I've been spending a little more time than usual outdoors each day, very early.  I got both of the propane tanks washed.  They look like new!  Had to use cleaning vinegar to cut the crud.  Also been weeding and watering flowers since we've not had rain for some time.  No mowing now; lawn has gone dormant. Things look stressed out there.  The raccoon problem we have doesn't help; they are so destructive.  I've given up on one flower bed, which they dig in almost every night.  Other jobs I want to finish this summer are painting some exterior doors -- but it'll have to be less humid for that.  Also, power wash the decks.  Always something ...

I have nothing new to add in photos that we've done lately; it's been too hot to go anywhere and do anything!  LOL!  But I wanted to add these three pictures I found recently.  Still going through stuff, sorting and organizing and discarding.  You know the routine.  These are photos of me and my brothers Don and Gale.  Hey ... Think I'll put more of this sort of thing on here!

Well, hope you're enjoying summer and I hope some of you truly enjoy this hot, humid weather more than I.  God bless!

Don, Gale, me.

Don, me, Gale.

Gale, me, Don.